If you are feeling overwhelmed by flashbacks and body sensations about your past trauma then this reminder from Carolyn Spring on how her therapist helped her might help you:
Start to hold onto the knowledge that “It’s not happening now”
“Those words – it’s not happening now – used to prickle: they scratched me, irritated me, they were caustic and unwanted. At first I just felt stupid – I know it’s not happening now. But slowly that mantra began to contain the awfulness of flashbacks: everything compressed together in a sandwiched world of past-and-present together, the room around me vague and dreamlike, choking breathlessness, hot flakes and embers of disgust, retching self-loathing … of memories happening now. All this was like a collision of time: nothing was real, or distinct, or remarkable. It just was, it just is. Then the whisper-like certainty of it’s not happening now. And a gradual re-orienting of my mind towards it’s over and a disengagement from the triggering panic. Bit by bit, over time, the mantra became a buffer – it’s okay, it’s not happening now – so that detached and curious, I could hear ‘You’re just being triggered and nothing more, nothing more’, until the arousal ebbed away”.
When we are feeling overwhelmed, or triggered, one step we can take is to try ground ourselves in today and bring ourselves into the present. This can help calm down our nervous system and bring a sense back of who we are today and where we are today.
One way we can do this is with the 5,4,3,2,1 technique.
Name Five Things You Can See:
Take a moment to spot five things in your immediate environment. Whether it’s a basic office chair or a cherished family photo, the goal is to really see the details—like colour, form, and texture. By diverting your focus to your sense of sight, you disrupt the cycle of anxious or stressful thoughts.
Name Four Things Tou Can Hear:
Close your eyes and listen to the noises around you. They could be anything from a fan humming to birds singing, or people talking in the distance. Identifying these sounds helps steer your mind away from inward worries and more toward the world around you, anchoring you in the present moment.
Name Three Things You Can Feel:
Concentrate on the sense of touch to further ground yourself. Become aware of three things you can feel. They could be the fabric of your clothes against your skin, the texture of an item you’re holding, or the solidity of the floor under your feet.
Name Two Things You Can Smell:
Take a deep breath and identify two distinct smells around you. They could be the welcoming aroma of fresh coffee or the clean scent of hand soap. Tuning into these smells helps shift your focus from looping thoughts to your immediate surroundings, reinforcing your connection to the present moment.
Name One Thing You Can Taste:
Finally, focus on your sense of taste. You might want to take a sip of water or tea or peppermint or chocolate. Centring on this final sense completes the cycle and can help bring you back to the present moment.
This technique calms the nervous system when we feel triggered stressed or overwhelmed. This is because when we are experiencing these strong triggering or overwhelming feelings our body’s fight or flight system is activated, releasing hormones like adrenaline. The 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique works by counteracting the fight or flight response, bringing your nervous system back to a more balanced state which makes us feel calmer and more in control.
(Sources: www.carolynspring.com/blog/twenty-helpful-things-my-therapists-said/ www.calm.com/blog/5-4-3-2-1-a-simple-exercise-to-calm-the-mind)